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On October 13, 2016, Boston mayor, Martin J. Walsh unveiled the new LED-based architectural lighting of Boston City Hall. The lighting debut was during this year’s final Beer Garden on the Bricks event, themed “Light Bright Beer Garden.” The city intends the new LED lighting to highlight and enhance the building’s original design and increase public safety. The exterior lighting installation is one among several ongoing initiatives to highlight City Hall and City Hall Plaza and make them more inviting for residents.

“I am proud that for the first time in its 48 year history, Boston City Hall is going to shine,” said Mayor Walsh. “This state of the art lighting system will help make City Hall the civic heart of our city by livening up the plaza, while making the area safer and connecting us to Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market. Bringing new light to City Hall is symbolic of a more responsive vision here at City Hall, one that is meant to be engaging, inspiring, and serve as a beacon of the city and our values.”

New LED fixtures replaced the original Metal Halide exterior recessed lighting and the existing floodlights that illuminate the building’s lower levels and accentuate the entrances. The new fixtures cover the building in a warm white light, and they can produce a broad range of colors. Such color options can allow the City to light the building to acknowledge a variety of celebratory and public events.

The mayor lit the building blue to recognize the police officers injured in East Boston, and as a further demonstration of its light changing capability, the mayor changed the color to pink in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The pink lights at city hall added to pink lighting of numerous buildings and landmarks around the city.

The lighting highlights the original three-part design of City Hall. The lower levels house the public spaces of the building. The symbolic spaces including the middle sections hold the offices of the Mayor and the City Council, and the administrative spaces crown the building and house the administrative functions of government.

According to the city, the new exterior lighting improves security lighting. The city says that the system allows for the floodlights and associated conduit added to the building over the years to be entirely removed.

“By illuminating its iconic and bold form, City Hall’s interaction with Boston’s urban fabric may be reinvigorated,” said David Eisen FAIA, Boston Society of Architects/AIA (BSA) Vice President for Communications. “It’s a decisive step toward transforming one of the most internationally renowned buildings that make up our distinct architectural heritage.”

The new fixtures are more energy efficient than the Metal Halide fixtures and the existing Flood Lights that they replace. The LED lighting is expected to save the city about 300,000 kWh of electricity annually compared to the replaced lights. The LED technology has a projected 20-year lifespan compared to the 4-year life of the metal halide lights that the LED system replaces. The City expects additional savings from the cost of maintenance and light replacement.

Arcade lights have also been retrofitted with LED lighting to complement the new City Hall lighting. The same controller will be able to operate and coordinate both the arcade lights and the City Hall lights.

“It is wonderful that the City is taking this opportunity to recreate its own home place – City Hall – as the keystone and central event in an ongoing pursuit of improved illumination for our city,” said Todd Lee, President of LIGHT Boston.

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The Effect Of Coloured Light On The Human Body
Artists and interior architects have long understood that colours can affect our feelings, emotions and mood. This is why the rooms in a hospital are often green – green calms and reduces stress. Other colours such as red, orange, yellow, blue, etc., have a different effect on the body. Chromotherapy, a.k.a. colour therapy studies these effects.

Chromotherapy or colour therapy is based on the premise that colours and light can be used to correct physical ailments. Depending on the location and nature of the ailment a specific colour may ease it.
One of the first scientists to consider the effect of colours was August Pleasonton. In 1876 he published ‘The Influence of the Blue Ray of Sunlight and of the Blue Color of the Sky’ in which he studied how blue can stimulate the growth of plants and cattle. He also mentioned that this colour can help make the human body better. This book introduced chromotherapy into modern medicine.
Colour therapy should not be confused with light therapy. In light therapy a person is exposed to a bright white light over a certain time. Light therapy is often used to treat skin diseases (more specifically psoriasis), sleep disorders and certain psychic problems.
Colours and their meaning
Studies have shown that people are able to distinguish approximately 10 million colours. These colours can be broken down into three primary colours: yellow, red and blue. Usually in chromotherapy, the secondary colours are added, more specifically orange, purple and green. Each of these colours has a certain meaning:
Red – The libido booster
Red is a warm colour linked to the kidneys, backbone and sense of smell. This colour gives more energy and is ideal for people who are often over-tired. Active people can use red light therapy to combat muscle and joint stiffness. And finally it also boosts sexual desires.
Yellow – The depression killer
People with a difficult digestion can treat this with yellow light. This colour is associated with the stomach, liver and intestines. People with a depression could also benefit from yellow colour therapy.
Blue – The bringer of peace
Blue is the counterpart of red. It can be used to lower high blood pressure or calm people down. Blue light can also help in the treatment of migraine. Your throat, ears and mouth are linked to this colour.
Green – The strength provider
Green is the colour of nature. Green light therapy stimulates the creation of growth hormones and strengthens muscles, bones and other tissues. It can also boost your body’s immune system.
Purple – The Nightcap
Purple light can help you fall asleep. It also reduces emotional and mental stress. The nervous system and eyes are linked with this secondary colour. Contrary to red light, purple light decreases sexual desires.
Orange – The creativity source
Does your job demand a lot of creativity? Then orange can help. Orange stimulates the creative thought process and helps you come up with new ideas. This colour is linked to breathing. Breastfeeding women could benefit from orange light because it stimulates the production of breast milk.
Coloured lighting cannot only create a certain atmosphere, it also affects our body.
Source: dmlights

Firestone Walker Brewing Company is a craft brewery based in Paso Robles, California. The brewery has experienced significant success, gaining recognition with a number of international awards for its beers. And it now operates three facilities – the others located in Buellton and Venice.

In fact the brewery’s growth has required the addition of a new 10,000 sq. ft. brew house at its Paso Robles headquarters in order to meet the steep increase in demand for its products.
Harris Architecture was mandated to design the new space with the goal of increasing production capacity. As well as being a fully functional brewery, the Paso Robles location also offers tours to visitors, and after an 8-month construction period, the new addition was opened to the public in May, 2017.
“The whole space has a turn of the century iron works style,” said Kyle Harris, who led the project for Harris Architecture. “There is a lot of galvanized metal and exposed bolts combined with tiling and concrete floors. It’s retro with a tech edge.”
The team from Harris worked closely with the Firestone Walker founders to ensure that every element of the new space was on point from a design and usability perspective. Everyone involved in the project was very conscious of choosing the right pieces to present the facility as the iconic, signature location in the Firestone Walker family of facilities.
Lighting the space was an important piece of the design. The lighting had to be functional as well as fitting aesthetically with the design intent of the space.
In collaboration with Prudential Lighting Products, the Harris team identified Luminis products as the perfect solution. Luminis’ Torx and Aramis products were chosen. Twelve Torx TR2450 pendants were selected to illuminate the brew deck. The Torx TR2450 products are decorative and functional ceiling pendants with a frosted acrylic refractor and an LED light source. Delivering more than 12,000 lumens per product, the pendants are ideal for areas where efficiency, reliability and aesthetics are important. To carry the aesthetic throughout the facility, two more Torx TR2450 pendants have been included in the visitor center.
Four Aramis AR148 pendants were used for additional illumination, while thirteen wall-mounted Aramis AR148 luminaires are positioned around the perimeter of the room. Most of the Aramis AR148 wall mounted sconces are in pairs – one as an uplight, and one as a downlight in each pair – providing a striking accent. The 6” cylindrical luminaires have an LED light source and deliver 2,050 lumens.
“Functionality and performance were key requirements in the lighting product selection,” said Harris. “The Torx and Aramis products from Luminis not only delivered on those requirements but also perfectly fit the industrial aesthetic in the rest of the building.”
Outside of the building, Harris chose Luminis’ Syrios SY602 products, complete with LED light source and unique integral tilting mechanism for precise directional aiming. Used primarily to illuminate the Firestone Walker signage and accent the curved roof, the products really catch the eye.
Finally, Eclipse Mini EC612 products illuminate the exterior of the main entrance providing the complete lighting experience from outside to inside – a testament to the wide array of interior and exterior products offered by Luminis. The Eclipse Mini EC612 models, durable and designed to withstand extreme weather conditions, are mounted to the wall either side of the front door and on the columns supporting the covered entry.
All of the interior lighting is on a dimming channel, enabling adjustment depending on the time of day. During the night, brew house lighting is turned up to deliver 100 foot candles of light at floor level to assist with nightly cleaning. In the daytime, the lighting is scaled back to deliver 45-55 foot candles at floor level for standard use.
“We did extensive calculations and modelling to make sure the lighting would be at the right level, and that we got the light in the places it was needed,” said Harris. “Inside the brew house the lighting hits the metal and the stainless steel brew tanks, and the results are striking.”
The reaction of the client has also been positive. Firestone Walker Co-Founder David Walker said: “The lighting is industrial, beautiful and functional; not an easy combination to achieve when lighting a modern brew house – it is elegantly done.”
Source: luminis

Towns and cities are increasingly making a mark for themselves with the targeted use of feature lighting. In addition to classical street and area lighting, ways of using illumination to specifically showcase certain places is being increasingly adopted. A creatively-lit park, a sharply illuminated monument, effective facade projection – purposeful and careful use of such elements contributes not only to creating a distinctive ambience, but also an atmosphere that makes people feel comfortable and excited. The new FLC230 LED profile projectors from WE-EF are the perfect instruments for realising such powerful lighting effects in public spaces.

The FLC230 LED profile projector is also available as a colour changer, offering infinitely variable RGBW colour mixing, as it can render almost every shade of the colour spectrum. The profile projector comprises a spherical/triple flat convex lens system for producing a parallel light beam. The FLC230 LED profile projector and the colour-changer variant are available either as a zoom-spot projector [ZP] for producing sharply defined circles of light, a frame projector [FP] for illuminating polygon surfaces or as a gobo projector [GP] for projecting gobos onto a surface. The FLC230-CC LED profile projectors also come with a DMX interface as standard.
Source: weef

Light Pushes Stuff - Late Interactive
An interactive mechanical light installation created by Late Interactive for Science in the City 2017.

Light pushes stuff is an artistic representation of the concept of radiation pressure. A sensor in each sphere relayed data to a central computer which in turn communicated to the winch lights.
Late Interactive is an artistic collaboration based in Malta dedicated towards creating interactive installations. The main goal of Late Interactive is to bring to life accessible and entertaining work that stimulates the audience by putting it in the driver seat and challenging it both through new concepts and unconventional aesthetics.
Source: vimeo, lateinteractive

In the middle of Tokyo, Midtown, vegetables are growing.
They sunbathe inside a plastic greenhouse, and are living through photosynthesis and absorbing water. Leaves, roots, flowers, fruits. Their shapes and colors are their survival strategy.
They are design. Start off by touching the 7 types of lives now growing strong in the soil. Then, bathe in the design of vegetables, enhanced by videos and sounds.
＜Digital Vegetables＞

LED Backlit Poster Frame - Big Naked Wall
Big Naked Wall, an online art gallery that exclusively focuses on backlit art is announcing its official launch this week with the unveiling of their “Life is a Feeling” campaign.

Big Naked Wall is a provider of large, backlit, and interchangeable artwork. The backlit aspect of the artwork is new to the art industry and is currently unique to the marketplace.
“We feel our product will resonate with designers and art enthusiasts alike. It invokes an emotion and feeling and at the essence that is what designers are selling; feeling. Our contemporary art concept allows for flexibility in design at a modest investment” says Raymond Wali, Creative Director at Big Naked Wall.

Titled “Genesis” by Zouassi, this artwork is the same as previous. However, once the lights are dimmed, you can see the visual impact these backlit frames make on its environment.
In addition to the art being backlit, it is also interchangeable. This means a new piece of artwork can be purchased without the frame and the existing image can be replaced. Big Naked Wall works with popular artists around the world to provide limited edition pieces.
The frame and artwork are self-assembled on site so they are easily shipped and can accommodate larger sizes without special handling or shipping charges.
“Our backlit art provides a new depth and impact that traditional canvas art does not. Our frame system is unique, in that you can easily purchase additional art and swap it out as desired. These pieces look great in commercial or residential applications, we are excited to bring this to market” adds Raymond.

Titled ”Colored Spectacle” by Mark Lovejoy, this is an example of the differences shown when artwork is backlit vs non-backlit.

Titled “Astronaut in Space” by Zouassi. This is another backlit art piece that showcases the deep impact that the backlighting provides on its environment. The picture below is used to show the relative contrast of when the artwork is backlit vs non-backlit.
Source: dzinetrip, bignakedwall

Correctional Facility LED Lighting
Correctional facilities place a high priority on safety, security, and operational efficiency. LED lighting systems, can help meet or exceed performance standards in all three of these areas. Due to the instant-on and dimming capabilities of LED systems, new control methods are now practical and promise to allow even greater performance.

Lighting Retrofit vs. Lighting Redesign
The revolution in industrial and commercial lighting is shepherding in a host of new LED lighting systems that are replacing traditional metal halide and high pressure sodium fixtures. As more organizations look to make this transition, their first question is whether they should retrofit existing lighting systems to utilize LED fixtures and control systems, or move entirely to a new redesign of their entire lighting configuration. As with many other facilities-related issues, this decision will be a function of personal preferences, the facility itself, and budgetary considerations.

LED Lighting Retrofit
If you are working with a limited budget and the facility does not have unique lighting needs, a retrofit may be adequate. Existing lamps can simply be replaced with LED lamps and self-contained drivers. The end result will be equivalent or better illumination with an immediate reduction in utility costs, but maintenance costs will likely be higher than with a full or partial redesign. LED lamps can be more directional than traditional bulbs, and replacing existing lamps will not solve light distribution issues or elimination of any shadows that an existing design had created.
LED Lighting Redesign
The next step up from just replacing lamps is changing all of the existing fixtures with LED-specific luminaires. New LED lamps and fixtures will likely generate greater illumination than prior-generation lamps, and this option might produce an environment that is overlit. Moreover, replacing the fixtures will not readily facilitate the addition of advanced controls for the LED lights, such as dimming and custom adjustments of individual fixtures.
LED Lighting Retrofit vs. LED Lighting Redesign
A complete lighting system redesign will impose the highest upfront cost on an organization, but that cost can be more quickly recovered through utility and maintenance cost savings with a redesign than with a simpler retrofit. Design engineers will analyze the space that need to be illuminated and will sketch out a customized plan that includes a blend of different LED fixtures to achieve optimum lighting in the facility. LED’s are available in a variety of light dispersion patterns that can be mixed and matched to uniformly light a facility with a minimum of dark spots and shadows. The engineer can also incorporate advanced control systems into a new LED lighting design that allows a facilities operator to selectively dim or adjust individual fixtures to alter facility lighting to coincide with particular or changing uses of the facility.
LED lighting technology has advanced rapidly over the past ten years. Decisions about retrofitting or redesigning a lighting system should be based on the most current available information. Manufacturers and designers of LED lighting systems have also gained considerable experience in that time with helping their clients to make the best lighting choices that fit their needs and that do not go over budget. That experience extends to adapting specific color temperature and color rendering indices (CRI) into new lighting systems that can improve employee morale and performance with lighting that better matches natural sunlight throughout the day.
Source: specgradeled

The 5 Biggest Myths in LED Lighting
In their early stages, most new technologies are the subjects of myths that are either exaggerations or inaccuracies, if they are not altogether incorrect. LED lighting has been the subject of many myths since the first installations of LED systems appeared several years ago. Many of those myths denigrated LED lighting on the basis of cost and performance. As LED technology has improved, early-stage problems have disappeared but the myths have remained. Rather than falling prey to those myths, organizations that are considering LED lighting for their own operations should base their decisions on objective facts about modern LED lighting systems.

Myth: LED lighting is expensive.
Fact: As with many new technologies, the first generations of LED lighting systems were costlier than traditional metal halide or high-pressure sodium alternatives. Upfront acquisition and installation costs have since fallen dramatically and LED retrofits or new installations can now be completed at competitive price points to those traditional systems. Moreover, LED lighting generates the same or better illumination with substantially lower power input. Upfront system costs are usually recovered very quickly from utility cost savings alone.
Myth: Light from LED bulbs is too harsh or bright.
Fact: New LED bulbs and control systems give operators much more flexibility to alter the color temperature and color coordinated index (“CCI”) of LED illumination to tone down the perceived harshness that might have plagued earlier LED systems. Modern fixtures and lenses also help to disperse lighting and to reduce glare from brighter bulbs.
Myth: All LED bulbs are identical.
Fact: LED bulbs include more complex technology than incandescent or fluorescent fixtures. Quality LED manufacturers push that technology to produce better and longer-lasting products that incorporate features such as advanced thermal control and more stable electronics. Some LED systems might cost less than others, but those lower-cost systems might not have the newest technology that creates improved lighting performance.
Myth: LED lamps never need to be replaced.
Fact: LED’s last substantially longer than traditional lighting fixtures, but the will need to be replaced at some point. On average, LED bulbs will perform above a minimum illumination level for 50,000 hours. Many continue to generate light beyond this average lifespan, but their total light output will be lower than when they were first brought into service. Facilities that install LED lighting systems will continue to need to plan for maintenance and replacement, but those needs will be substantially reduced in comparison to traditional lighting.
Myth: LED lighting is bad for your health.
Fact: Doctors’ groups did criticize early generations of LED light that had high concentrations of blue-wavelength lighting. Lighting in that wavelength tends to keep people alert and to interfere with circadian rhythms and sleep patterns. Newer LED systems have controls that allow operators to reduce blue wavelengths in favor of more calming orange or yellow lighting. Therefore the early criticisms are no longer as valid.
Myth: LEDs have sub-par color rendering index properties
Fact: Incandescents have a perfect color rendering index (CRI) of 100, so when alternative energy-saving lighting solutions like fluorescents came to the market, people were disappointed in the quality of the light. And rightly so. Many compact fluorescents have a low CRI of 50. Most LEDs have a solid CRI of 80, with High CRI options available when color rendering is very important (like in restaurants, retail stores, galleries, etc). Our LED MR16, for example, has an incredible High CRI option of 95, so colors appear as vibrant to the eye as under broad daylight.
Source: specgradeled

L&L is the technical sponsor of the artistic installation Wave/Cave on display at the INTERNI Material Immaterial exhibition in the Cortile d’Onore courtyard of the University of Milan as part of the FuoriSalone 2017.
The installation, designed by the New York firm SHoP Architects, evokes the idea of geological time marked by the different eras. It uses 1670 blocks of unglazed terracotta to create 797 profiles on 3 levels, alluding to the idea of rock stratification.
The lighting, designed by PHT Lighting Design, brings out the beauty and porous nature of the material and creates a play of volumes between the façade, compact and regular, and the interior, which reveals a surprisingly rich ornamentation.
For this installation, L&L supplied 89 FLORI 1.0 projectors, which were positioned on the external perimeter and between the strata of the interior.
The chosen outdoor lighting fixtures have 15° optics, a 2700K warm white light colour, and anthracite finish.
Project SHoP Architects
Construction NBK KERAMIK, METALSIGMA TUNESI
with Arup, Cricursa, PHT Lighting Design
Lights L&L Luce&Light
Source: lucelight

We know that Christmas is long over. However, this electrifying Swedish commercial still deserves some attention. It is about a solar panel system that can store energy - and to underline this message an over-the-top Christmas light installation was used to underline that you can use electricity with a clean conscience. SGM LED fixtures which are known for their low power consumption and eco-friendliness therefore matched that message perfectly. Lighting Designer, Peter “Tintin” Jörgensen, applied SGM P-5 wash lights outside the building to cover up the facade and several units of their little brother, the P-2, were placed inside to highlight the windows. He explained:
“Besides the low power consumption, it was important that the fixtures had a high IP rating as some of them were installed outside. I also needed a great green and red color output to underline the Christmas theme - and I knew that the P-2 and the P-5 were able to deliver just that. I was very satisfied with their performance and their contribution to the final result.”
Lighting Designer: Peter “Tintin” Jörgensen
Programmer/Operator: Ishai Mika
Production: Teaterteknik
Supplier: Light Trade
Applied products: P-2 P-5
Original: sgmlight

New Year’s Eve 2017: SGM Q-7 strobes were the main cannons of the stage lighting for Justin Bieber’s exclusive show at the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami, FL.
Everlast Productions have carried out the New Year’s Eve Party at Fontainebleau Hotel for several years. It was the first year that Tyler Frank spearheaded the overall design. Tyler and his crew took the shell of the structure from previous years and incorporated that into the new design for the stage. He wanted to create something that had more depth, immersion and dynamics, all the while fitting into the tight restrictions of the space. They built a 18m wide x 15m tall x 13m deep (60’ wide x 50’ tall x 40’ deep) structure and stage over an existing poolside bar. The lighting design had to be practical, bright and resilient to South Beach weather conditions. He explained why he chose the Q-7s for the stage setup:
“The Q-7s were the main cannons for the show. They were the only fixtures that I could trust to fill in the void between the LED walls and to have a output bright enough to make it across the pool. The Q-7s were going to be out in the open to the elements and so the IP-rating and the durability of SGM was a no brainer. The fixtures acted as bookends to the LED wall and really brought synergy between the lighting and video elements.”
Tyler was very satisfied with the performance of Q-7s from SGM:
“The Q-7s set the bar for a LED strobe fixture. It’s a tank and can handle anything you throw at it. I didn’t have a single issue with these fixtures, whereas I had several with others due to the rain. The Q-7s are now in my bag of tricks - and I will definitely use them again.”
The Everlast Production crew had no idea who the headliner was going to be until a few weeks beforehand, so they focused on creating a large canvas that could support any act. Once they found out that it was Justin Beiber, they got in touch with his team to make any changes. Fortunately, they loved the rig and rocked with what Everlast Productions had provided them. The Lighting Designer from Justin Bieber's team, Nick van Norstrand, took the rig and made it fly.
Production Company: Everlast Productions
Production Manager: David McCranie
Lighting Designer/Director: Tyler Frank
Guest Lighting Designer: Nick van Norstrand
Master Electrician: Patrick Forrest
Set Design: Tyler Frank
Rigger: Mike DeBlois
Video Director: Alejandro Mejia
Audio Engineer: Micah Hudson
Audio Engineer 2: Jay Newbold
Products used for this project: Q-7
Original: sgmlight

New Year’s Eve 2017: SGM Q-7 strobes were the main cannons of the stage lighting for Justin Bieber’s exclusive show at the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami, FL.

Everlast Productions have carried out the New Year’s Eve Party at Fontainebleau Hotel for several years. It was the first year that Tyler Frank spearheaded the overall design. Tyler and his crew took the shell of the structure from previous years and incorporated that into the new design for the stage. He wanted to create something that had more depth, immersion and dynamics, all the while fitting into the tight restrictions of the space. They built a 18m wide x 15m tall x 13m deep (60’ wide x 50’ tall x 40’ deep) structure and stage over an existing poolside bar. The lighting design had to be practical, bright and resilient to South Beach weather conditions. He explained why he chose the Q-7s for the stage setup:
“The Q-7s were the main cannons for the show. They were the only fixtures that I could trust to fill in the void between the LED walls and to have a output bright enough to make it across the pool. The Q-7s were going to be out in the open to the elements and so the IP-rating and the durability of SGM was a no brainer. The fixtures acted as bookends to the LED wall and really brought synergy between the lighting and video elements.”
Tyler was very satisfied with the performance of Q-7s from SGM:
“The Q-7s set the bar for a LED strobe fixture. It’s a tank and can handle anything you throw at it. I didn’t have a single issue with these fixtures, whereas I had several with others due to the rain. The Q-7s are now in my bag of tricks - and I will definitely use them again.”
The Everlast Production crew had no idea who the headliner was going to be until a few weeks beforehand, so they focused on creating a large canvas that could support any act. Once they found out that it was Justin Beiber, they got in touch with his team to make any changes. Fortunately, they loved the rig and rocked with what Everlast Productions had provided them. The Lighting Designer from Justin Bieber's team, Nick van Norstrand, took the rig and made it fly.
Production Company: Everlast Productions
Production Manager: David McCranie
Lighting Designer/Director: Tyler Frank
Guest Lighting Designer: Nick van Norstrand
Master Electrician: Patrick Forrest
Set Design: Tyler Frank
Rigger: Mike DeBlois
Video Director: Alejandro Mejia
Audio Engineer: Micah Hudson
Audio Engineer 2: Jay Newbold
Products used for this project: Q-7
Original: sgmlight

A workshop, organised by postgraduates of illumination from UNAM (University of Mexico), used three different types of LED wash light fixtures from SGM. The installation took place at the grounds of UNAM’s main campus, Ciudad Universitaria. The light installations were applied to the Sculpture Space; a walk that integrates art and ecology. Three prominent sculptures were highlighted by SGM wash lights:
Las Serpientes del Pedregal:
2 pcs. of P-5 and 10 pcs. P-2
Ave Dos:
12 pcs. of P-2
Coronal del Pedregal:
5 pcs. of i-2
Products used for this project: P-5 P-2 i-2 RGBW
Original: sgmlight

Using ground-breaking LED technology from SGM, an interactive light commission entitled IN LIGHT: Illuminating Capability Brown’s Landscape, was created by light artist Laurent Louyer from Creatmosphere.
In November 2016, various celebratory events took place in 120 different parks and sights all across the UK. This was to mark the 300th anniversary of renowned British Landscape Architect, Capability Brown, a historically important figure known as “England’s greatest gardener.” Many of his more than 170 park designs still exist today. Amongst these is Compton Verney, which also houses an independent national art gallery.
Compton Verney celebrated Capability’s legacy and brought it to life through a light ‘spectacular’. The curator from Compton Verney, Penelope Sexton, had the idea that it would be great to do something outside on the grounds using light as a medium. She got in touch with Laurent Louyer and asked him to carry out the job. Louyer said about the assignment:
“I had the simple brief to ‘respond to the Capability Brown’s landscape’. So basically, I had creative carte blanche - which is a dream come through as an artist. I found the trees, water and architectural elements to be the crucial cornerstones of the garden, so I put them in focus. My aim was to get people to play and engage, but also to educate them about the landscape and architecture. One of the installations was an interactive display where people could paint trees and architecture with light and colors.”
For the interactive installation, he used twenty five pcs. of P-5 wash lights and five pcs. of Q-7 flood/blind/strobes from SGM as giant brushes for people to “paint” trees and buildings. They were all controlled wirelessly via touch screens booths placed at key viewpoints.
Additionally, seven pcs. of G-Profile moving heads from SGM were programmed to effectively scan the landscape. They were located at very specific locations within the park where Louyer wanted to highlight specific parts of the visual landscape, adding another layer of discovery to the space. They were programmed to be out of sync, which ensured a dynamic, non-repetitive experience with varying sequences. It invited visitors to play with time, space and motion within their surroundings as they were not constrained to a specific timeline. It also encouraged them to discover specific viewpoints.
Reflecting on the use of SGM fixtures for the installation, Louyer said:
“It’s the first time, I’ve SGM fixtures in my projects. First and foremost, I picked them because of their great lighting performance. As it was an outdoor installation, a high IP-rating (IP65) was also crucial. Compton Verney is potentially interested in making the installation permanent, so I had to think of a durable solution from the very beginning. The strong architectural fixtures from SGM were therefore an obvious choice. All in all, I could tick off a lot boxes, going with SGM.”
An important theme of the installation was sustainable lighting. There were organised workshops at the site discussing how to limit the power consumption and how generate power in a sustainable way. The light installation itself was also totally aligned with this theme, using the LED fixtures from SGM and 1,000 solar jars on the lawn.
Laurent Louyer had the ambition have the kids to get more involved and especially the interactive elements had a big appeal to that segment. Normally, it is very difficult to get families to travel to the remote location, but with more than 8,000 new visitors during the event, the light installation certainly succeeded in attracting a new young family audience. The light installation even got news coverage from BBC.
Photographer: Jamie Woodley
Products used for this project:
P-5 Q-7 G-Profile
Original: sgmlight